"Wonderful, everyone!"
Looking out over a Great Hall packed to the brim with students, Dumbledore beamed with delight. He stood up and spread his arms wide toward them.
"To have everyone sitting here safe and sound, able to enjoy a feast together and witness the outcome of the House Cup…"
"Is there anything more joyous than this?"
The time had already reached July. The final exams for the year had long since ended, and the remedial lessons arranged for the petrified students had been proceeding smoothly for months. The shadow cast by the basilisk attacks had finally been completely dispelled, and the public uproar outside the school had gradually subsided with the arrest of the governors involved.
Hogwarts had returned to being the lively, cheerful castle it had always been.
"Before announcing the result of this year's House Cup, there's something I must declare first—"
Dumbledore said loudly. "Professor Silvanus Kettleburn will be officially retiring and will no longer serve as the Care of Magical Creatures professor starting next term. I believe everyone is already aware of this."
"Is there anything you'd like to say to everyone, Silvanus?"
He turned with a smile to Kettleburn beside him, who responded cheerfully and loudly:
"Well, if I had to say I had any regrets, it'd probably be not managing to put on another mime performance here at the school…"
"Ahem, let's skip that."
Dumbledore's beard twitched.
"I know, I know… but honestly, mime doesn't quite hold the same appeal for me anymore compared to that basilisk."
Kettleburn grinned broadly, showing his teeth. "It's been an honor to work at Hogwarts, and these sixty-plus years of teaching have been the happiest period of my life. Retirement usually means freedom from pressure—but when you leave a job you truly love, it does leave an emptiness behind."
"Still, everyone knows I'm not the sort to sit around doing nothing. After leaving the school, I'll probably continue my research into magical creatures. If I can get approval, I might even open a basilisk breeding facility…"
"And as for the new professor everyone's been curious about—"
He deliberately built suspense. "The school is still in the evaluation process, but the result is all but certain. Trust me—he'll be an outstanding professor."
"Alright, I won't ramble any longer. It's time to give the spotlight back to Dumbledore… By the way, Albus, when are you planning to retire?"
Even as he sat down, Kettleburn couldn't resist teasing him once more. Dumbledore merely chuckled before standing again.
"Next, let us tally the points for each House this academic year."
"Slytherin, six hundred and eighty points. Ravenclaw, four hundred and seventy points. Gryffindor, four hundred and fifty points. Hufflepuff, four hundred and forty points. Hmm… it seems Slytherin performed exceptionally well this year."
A wave of triumphant cheering erupted from the Slytherin table. The other Houses—especially Gryffindor—answered with loud boos. Everyone knew how absurdly fast Slytherin's hourglasses had filled during Snape's tenure as headmaster; otherwise, such a crushing gap would never have existed.
"However—"
Dumbledore's voice rang out again, silencing the hall.
"Given the extraordinary events of this year, certain students made truly exceptional contributions. As I mentioned earlier, these would be announced at the end-of-year feast, and I believe they should also be added to their respective Houses' scores…"
"First, Slytherin's Mr. Baron Shafiq."
His smiling gaze turned toward the excited faces at the Slytherin table. "He was the first to conceive the idea of using spiders' instincts as an early-warning system against the basilisk. The basilisk alarm he helped develop protected students dozens of times over the Christmas period alone, safeguarding at least a dozen lives. Had the crisis not been resolved so quickly, his contribution would have been even greater…"
"For this, I award Slytherin—one hundred and twenty points."
"Oh—!"
This time, the cheers from Slytherin were entirely genuine. Their total score had reached a staggering eight hundred points—nearly double that of the second-place House. Such a gap was almost unheard of in Hogwarts' history.
"Next, Ravenclaw's Miss Luna Lovegood."
Only after the cheering subsided did Dumbledore continue. "She made full use of her talents, intellect, and courage, binding Voldemort's Dark magical artifact to herself at immense personal risk. By doing so, she prevented it from hiding or escaping at the crucial moment, making a tremendous contribution to our final success."
"For this, I award Ravenclaw—three hundred and thirty points!"
"Wow!"
The Ravenclaws were nearly stunned by the windfall from above, and Luna was immediately hoisted into the air by those around her.
"Next, Gryffindor's Mr. Harry Potter."
Dumbledore raised his voice once more. "He willingly served as bait, shouldering the greatest risk to draw that artifact out into the open. When facing it directly, he displayed remarkable calm, composure under pressure, and decisiveness—laying the foundation for victory in a single stroke…"
"For this, I award Gryffindor—three hundred and fifty points!"
There was no helping it. Although Ron, Hermione, and the twins had also made significant contributions, things like the Marauder's Map and a restricted Polyjuice Potion were not exactly suitable to be brought into the open.
"..."
This time, the students froze.
If they weren't mistaken, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor all now stood at eight hundred points.
What was going on?
"And finally…"
Dumbledore's gaze shifted to someone at the Hufflepuff table. "I must offer my deepest thanks to Hufflepuff's Mr. Kent."
"He was the first to deduce that the true culprit behind the attacks was a basilisk and to attempt countermeasures. After the spider-based concept was proposed, it was he who ultimately refined the basilisk alarm system, protecting students' safety. He was also the one who identified the existence of that Dark magical artifact through countless subtle clues, allowing us to understand who our true enemy was…"
"And the successful capture of that artifact ultimately relied on the meticulous plan devised by Mr. Kent."
"For this, I award Hufflepuff—three hundred and sixty points."
"…I knew it," Cedric, Shabby, and the others around Avada said, pounding him on the back. "Anyone Dumbledore mentioned was bound to include you."
"And now, let me announce the final scores—and the recipient of the House Cup."
Unfazed by the strange looks from the students below, Dumbledore declared in a relaxed tone:
"That is—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin Houses, all with a final score of eight hundred points, will jointly share this year's House Cup!"
"…Huh?"
For a moment, no one dared believe what they'd heard. Even several professors wore peculiar expressions.
All four Houses sharing the House Cup—this was unprecedented in Hogwarts' history.
Yet the silence in the Great Hall did nothing to stop Dumbledore from flicking his wand. The banners and ribbons decorating the hall gradually shifted, taking on hues of red, yellow, blue, green, gold, silver, gray, and black.
They arranged themselves in a balanced, harmonious pattern—
As though it had always been meant to be this way.
(End of Chapter)